Simulation software seeds new biofuels processes

Plano, Texas - Novus Energy, LLC, a Minnesota-based renewable fuels development company is employing simulation software - a Process Engineering Suite from Invensys Process Systems (IPS) - in its efforts to design second-generation biofuels processes.

"We chose IPS' Process Engineering Suite because of its diverse set of programs that allows process simulation modeling to improve our heat recovery processes, data reconciliation, and operational verification and what-if scenarios," said Al Burbeck, VP engineering and operations of Novus Energy. "Our process is substantially thermal catalytic at elevated pressures and temperatures, and PES is well suited to help us design and maximize our facilities."

Renewable fuels developer Novus Energy was set up in 2004 to design, fabricate and rollout high-yield facilities based on feedstocks such as organic waste materials including cellulosic wastes, natural gas and coal bed methane. Among the alternative fuels to be produced are synthetic diesel, ethanol and industrial grade alcohols. The company's proprietary process generates methane-rich biogas from anaerobic digestion, and converts the biogas to fuels and higher alcohols via a novel renewable gas-to-liquid  process.

The US company currently has contracts to build refineries at a North Dakota sugar beet processor and a Minneapolis landfill while contracts are in process at an Idaho potato plant, a North Dakota Municipality and a Texas dairy. Another project at an Iowa site features a planned biodigester facility using corn ethanol thin stillage to produce methane rich biogas for use as a substitute for natural gas while returning clean water to the ethanol plant for production use.

PRO/II modeling software and other products within our Process Engineering Suite (PES) will help Novus Energy to design environmentally friendly and safe processes and reduce its capital and operating costs, said Joseph McMullen, PES product manager at IPS.

"Our PRO/II solution provides the functionality and flexibility required to model high fidelity biofuel processes with integrated correlations and  reaction models," claims McMullen. "Additionally, the other products in our PES contribute to efficient and safe process design. It is good for the environment and for the bottom line."

PES is a set of tools for process engineering design and operational analysis. The suite includes software for general-purpose process flow sheeting and optimisation as well as products for heat-transfer simulation and pinch analysis. Other components cover multiphase, fluid flow simulation for plant piping networks and the design and modeling of safety systems and pressure relief networks.